What happens when over 200 youth (and a few adults) from across the world get together? When those youth and adults are members of the National Youth Ministry Organization (NYMO) at Convo ’99, you can expect a lot of worship, faith-sharing, decision making, and fun. The theme of Convo ’99, held on the campus of the University of Tennessee, August 2-5, 1999, was “Piecing It Together.” The Scripture that undergirded the theme was Ephesians 4:3, “ . . . making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (NRSV).

The purpose of Convo ’99 was:

• To provide leadership training for youth and for spiritual growth of participants.
• To promote evangelistic outreach by and for youth.
• To support and facilitate renewal in the life of the church.
• To strengthen the connectional ties of youth ministry in The United Methodist Church.

The responsibilities of Convo ’99 were:

• Providing opportunities for worship and the renewal of Christian commitment.
• Providing the context and setting for the Legislative Assembly.

“The National Youth Ministry Organization is distinctive in this, mostly adult driven, church. It is a nationwide network of youth and adult workers with youth at every level of the church, formed by the 1976 General Conference. . . . NYMO has a strong and positive working relationship with the General Board of Discipleship as well as with other general boards and agencies” (from Convo ’99 program book).

I had the privilege of attending Convo ’99. Dr. David Lowes Watson and I were invited to help interpret covenant discipleship groups for the assembly. Everyone at Convo ’99 was in a CD group. Our job was to train the leaders and support the groups as they wrote their covenants. Meeting for an hour each day, the goal of each group was to write a brief covenant with a preamble, four clauses (one for each of the four quadrants of the General Rule of Discipleship), and a conclusion. The youth and adults were en-couraged to take their covenant and the covenant writing experience home with them and to introduce accountable discipleship to their churches.

NYMO made several important decisions at Convo ’99. Among them was the selection of the priority for their ministry for the coming two years: Preventing violence in the lives of youth through mentoring, education, and faith development.

Space does not permit me to recount all of the significant events. However, I need to share two of them.

The first happened during one of the legislative sessions. After an extended—at times heated—debate, there was a great deal of tension in the hall. Just before the chairman called for the delegates to vote, one of the youth delegates rose and approached a microphone. She expressed her concern about the tension in the room and the importance of the issue. She then led the assembly in prayer, asking for God’s grace and guidance that God’s will be done. I felt the pressure ease. The young woman, led by the Holy Spirit to pray, helped everyone remember who and whose they were.

The other significant event was hearing the Rev. Julius Nelson, a pastor from Liberia, preach during the Wednesday evening Covenant service. He lifted up Paul’s vision of the church as a body in First Corin-thians 12:12-26. Rev. Nelson reminded everyone that, together with Christ and each other, we can make it; we can be kingdom people and bearers of God’s good news for the world. Before communion, representatives from the covenant discipleship groups brought copies of their covenants forward and offered them up to God as they placed them in Rev. Nelson’s hands.

I came away from Convo ’99 convinced the future of The United Methodist Church is in very good hands.

Steve Manskar is Director of Accountable Discipleship at the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship.